Black Lagoon Drabbles
by ibbity
Summary: This is a series of drabbles set in the world of Black Lagoon. Full summary and intro inside.
1. Intro

This is going to be a series of drabbles based on the genre list they give us to typify our stories (humor, romance, drama, etc.) Each drabble is going to be based on one of those genres, though I will probably be taking some liberties with the interpretation of those genres. After all, a lot of words have more than one meaning, and some of those genres would be really tricky to do with Black Lagoon shudders at the thought of a stereotypical "fantasy" story set in the Black Lagoon universe

Anyway, I like drabbles and I like Black Lagoon is annoyed that it doesn't have more fans. This is kind of off topic, but has anyone else noticed that the list of animes says there are 24 stories, yet only 11 actually show up? What's the deal with that?

Anyway smacks self in head to clear cobwebs here goes.


	2. Fantasy

_**This is set pre-show, when Rock's still in his business world.**_

Every day, Rokuro wakes up to the shrilling of his cheap alarm clock, throws some water in his face, puts on a suit, and heads for the station. Every day, he pushes through the faceless crowds to get to the same grey subway train, inside of which he stands in the same corner and reads the same faded ad posters stuck to the opposite wall. Every day, he silently bows his head and follows every order flung his way. Then it's back on the subway and back to the low-rent, impersonal cube of an apartment he "lives" in.

Every day the same drab, mind-numbing routine, oppressive in its monotony. Rokuro hates it. Hates all of it.

Rokuro sometimes wonders if this is all there is, if maybe somewhere far away there doesn't exist another life where something different happens once in a while and there are people who look at him as something other than a drone who exists only to be kicked around.

He wonders this. Then he looks around at this world of one color that is all he's ever known, and thinks he must be crazy to dream up such a fantasy.

_**fin**_


	3. Tragedy

_**Revycentric. This is more of a ficlet than a drabble really, but I don't think it would work as well if I shortened it.**_

Revy never figured on being the last one alive. She always thought she'd likely be the first to go, unless Rock perpetuated a greater-than-usual act of stupidity. She's certainly racked up enough killings and other deeds to merit an early death. But somehow she's the only one left standing, while the other three are all gone.

Dutch was the first to go. The best they could figure, it was a faulty grenade with a loose pin, in a box of them, that killed the boss. After that, the three of them struggled on alone, doing their best to keep the Lagoon Company going without him.

Then Benny went out to get some new cables for the computer and got run down by a car. Whether this was a random accident or revenge for some unspecified act they never found out, as he never regained consciousness.

After that it was just Revy and Rock, until the night the two of them went out drinking to try and forget a little bit and a gunfight broke out at the table behind them. It had nothing to do with either of them, but when Rock turned around to see what was going on a stray bullet hit him in the chest.

Revy took out the guy who'd done it, and his opponent for good measure. Not that it saved Rock. She'd tried to stop the bleeding, but it didn't work-she'd felt him shudder, and then go still. He'd died there, under her hands on the barroom floor.

Now Revy's all by herself, sitting on the end of the dock watching the sun sink into the ocean. She stares up at the seagulls wheeling in the sky, flips her cigarette into the water.

Then Revy Two Hands yanks both of her pistols from their holsters, places a barrel against each temple, and pulls the triggers as the sun goes down.

_**fin**_


	4. Romance

_**I don't know if "romance" is exactly the word for this one, but it was the closest there was lol. Anyway, there's kissing so I guess "romance" fits okay. I put this one in past tense because I thought it worked better that way.**_

"You've seriously never had a girlfriend?" Revy snickered. "That is so unbelievably pathetic I can't even say it."

"I didn't have the time," Rock answered defensively. The two of them were standing outside the usual bar. For some reason unbeknownst to Rock, Revy had suddenly stopped just outside the door and demanded to know if he'd ever had a girlfriend.

"Is that Rock-speak for 'they all shot me down'?' Revy said.

"No! I mean, I've been on dates…" okay, it did sound pathetic, Rock admitted to himself.

"Ooh, 'on dates'," Revy mocked. "Do you even _like _women?"

"I…"Rock's protest of this manifestly unfair accusation was abruptly cut off as Revy shoved him up against the wall and began kissing him, hard. And expertly. It was the most _thorough _kiss Rock had ever experienced. He jumped slightly as Revy slid her left hand under his shirt and up his back; her right hand continued to pin him to the wall.

Revy finished kissing Rock and let go of him, stepping back, at which point Rock's legs gave way and he collapsed on the ground in a heap.

"Heh," Revy said, grinning down at him. "I guess you _do _like women."

"Uh," Rock replied intelligently from his heap.

"Well, I'm going in," Revy informed him. "See ya." She disappeared into the bar. Rock remained on the ground outside, blinking and wondering dazedly just how many drinks would make an encore possible.

_**fin**_


	5. Drama

_**I'm actually a little iffy on this one; it was a bit difficult to put into words the feelings/mindset I wanted to evoke. Also, Balalaika is hard to work with. Anyway, I hope you like it.**_

Balalaika surveys the unmoving form of the child assassin that lies on the ground before her. Killing children isn't something she particularly cares for; this one, however, had to die. The little boy had been rather pathetic in his last moments. Not that it mattered.

Balalaika doesn't toss around ideas like "karma" or "justice will win", even in her head. She doesn't care for such notions. The children must die because no one takes her comrades from her. A captain's duty, to avenge her fallen. Otherwise the little killers might have done as they pleased; if they didn't cross her, Balalaika wouldn't have cared.

Balalaika rises from the edge of the fountain and walks away, sparing not even a glance for the little assassin, whose debt to her soldiers has been paid with the blood slowly creeping across the cobblestones.

_**fin**_


	6. Romance II

_**This is a sequel to the other one. **_

A shaft of sunlight stabbed through Rock's eyelids. His head throbbed painfully-_how much did I drink last night?_ He squeezed his eyes tighter shut, silently wishing the sun to go away.

Wait.

Rock was never awakened by the sun. His room had no window to the east.

…_this isn't my bed._

_Where am I?_

Rock turned his head away from the invasive sunlight and cautiously opened his eyes. And had all he could do to keep from jumping up and out the window, as the first thing that met his gaze was Revy's sleeping face.

_Ohmanohmanohman…what _happened _last night? _Alcohol-blurred recollections of drinking with Revy in the bar, staggering through the streets in the dark, somehow ending up at her place…

Oh. Right.

_Aw man, she's gonna _kill _me…_Rock sat up slowly, so as not to wake Revy, and noted to his chagrin that he was next to the wall, which meant that he couldn't get out of bed until she did. _At least I'm somehow wearing pants._

Revy seemed to be wearing at least a tank top from what Rock could see, which was the tops of her shoulders up. Her hair was loose around her face; in sleep, she seemed almost like a little girl, peaceful in a way she never looked awake

_She's so beautiful. _Rock tentatively reached out and brushed a lock of hair away from her closed eyes. He let his fingertips delicately skim the line of her cheekbone in a barely-there caress.

Revy's eyelids slowly lifted. Rock hastily pulled his hand away. She was a slow waker-upper, but still…

Revy's eyes wandered around the room, finally coming to rest on Rock. A small smile crept across her face.

"Good morning…"

_**Fin**_

_**I don't have any plans right now to do a third part; I like the way I ended it here. It makes me feel all warm inside lol. Btw Revy is the one who said "good morning" at the end if you couldn't tell.**_


	7. Tragedy II

_**I think this is the longest drabble I've done so far. It's probably the heaviest one too. Companion to the other one.**_

Rock's first impression of Dutch had been that the man was made of titanium. Back then, he never could've imagined anything damaging the boss, much less killing him. So when Dutch did die, Rock's world suddenly turned shaky and frightening.

Revy and Benny seemed to feel the same way-lost, uncertain, where there had been dynamism and quiet cheerfulness. It was like the three of them were huddling together against the future.

Then Benny was hit by that car. Coming so soon after Dutch, it was a hammer-blow to the pit of the stomach. Losing Benny was worse in a way than losing Dutch had been, the fresh sharp pain building on top of the previous ache.

Revy never cries or talks about it. But she watches Rock like a hawk when she thinks he isn't looking, and gets antsy when he's out of her sight for any length of time. Rock gets nervous when she's out of his sight too, but Revy seems to have an edginess that goes far beyond his nervousness.

They seem to end up at the bar a lot these days. Tonight they've barely touched their drinks when a sudden outbreak of noise behind them makes Rock turn to look, and he feels a sudden stabbing pain in his chest.

Rock is on the floor though he doesn't remember how he got there. Revy's kneeling beside him, hands pressed flat on his chest, with a look in her eyes that Rock has never seen before.

"Rock," she says-he's never heard that tone before either-"Rock, look at me, stay awake…"

Rock's eyes slide downwards to focus on Revy's bloody fingers, splayed out against the red and white of his shirt, then back up to her eyes, oddly dilated in her white face. He wants to tell her don't worry, it doesn't really hurt even, but he can't seem to speak. So he raises his hand, slowly and with great difficulty, and brushes his fingers against her cheek. They come away wet, but Rock doesn't have time to think about this because everything seems to be growing dim around him.

The last thing Rock sees is Revy, something dying behind her eyes as his world fades to black.

_**fin**_


	8. Spiritual

_**This drabble is entirely the fault of Kryssa'sFlute ;-) It was inspired by something she said. It's a sequel to the tragedy ones. **_

Revy is walking. She doesn't know how long she's been doing it, or why she is here in this dim, misty place. The mist is so thick that she can't see where she is going, but Revy doesn't really care. She notices that she isn't wearing her pistols, but it doesn't occur to her to care about this either. All she is thinking about is to keep walking, one bare foot in front of the other.

The mist whitens up ahead. Revy sees this, and a tinge of apprehension colors the peaceful blankness she has been feeling. It crosses her mind to wonder what exactly is going on here. Her feet continue to carry her towards the brighter patch while Revy tries to think of something she can't remember.

Revy arrives at the white patch. The mist dissolves before her like a doorway; light shines in her eyes, causing her to throw an arm up in front of her eyes.

"Hey."

Revy's arm drops to her side. In front of her is light beyond which she cannot see, and standing in front of it are the other Lagoon Traders. All the things Revy could not remember before now come flooding back into her mind.

"Been a while, Revy," says Dutch, grinning. He isn't wearing sunglasses now, Revy notes.

Benny's glasses are likewise gone; he also grins at her and says, "Thought we'd wait for you a bit."

Rock doesn't say anything. He just smiles at Revy and holds out a hand to her.

And Revy smiles back as she takes that hand and steps into the light.

_**fin**_


	9. Angst

_**Aaand we're back to the dark depressing type of drabble. I can't seem to help myself here-I just like writing this type. Anyway, this one's all about Revy, quite a bit pre-show.**_

A grey curtain of rain blurs the view from under the overpass. Revy takes a drag on her cigarette, huddling deeper into her thin jacket. She's only fifteen, but she already drinks and smokes and spends about as much time in and out of juvie as she does in and out of school, not that that's saying much.

People look at Revy and assume she's a gangbanger- she certainly fits the image, but Revy isn't interested in that lifestyle. She's not too keen on following someone else's orders; she'd rather do her own thing, even if it means she's always alone. Besides, she's never yet met anyone she could respect enough to accept them as the boss of her. No, Revy's a loner and probably always will be, unless she finds something better. Not that it seems likely.

Revy leans back against a concrete pillar and scratches her sneaker toe on the pavement. She blows out a cloud of smoke that is swallowed up in the gloom of the evening. When she was younger, Revy used to wish for someone to take her out of this place. That was back when she half-believed the movies, that there were people out there who would do things like that.

Well, Revy knows better now. There are no heroes in this world; you have to save yourself. And if you don't or can't, then heaven help you.

Because no one else ever will.

_**fin**_


	10. Friendship

_**This one is actually meant to be set within the show, instead of in fanfiction land. Everyone knows about the dreaded Hawaiian shirt that Revy bought Rock, which he never wears despite her complaints. In the first episode of the Japan arc in season 2, it shows Rock in his room and the shirt is hanging on the wall. I thought, "Why would he keep it there?"**_

The Shirt-Rock always thinks of it as "The Shirt", capital letters and all-is never going to be worn. Rock doesn't know what Revy was thinking with it; it's so awful, wearing it should be some kind of punishment. But he can't throw it away, because you don't throw away a gift from someone. It wouldn't be nice to Revy, to throw away The Shirt. Not that "nice" is really in her vocabulary, but still. It was a gift, and you don't throw away a gift, regardless of who it's from. Rock certainly isn't keeping it just because it was from her. That's a ridiculous idea. And the reason he keeps it hanging on the wall like some kind of artwork, even though it is a far cry from that, is because he doesn't want to get it mixed in with his other clothes and accidentally put it on one morning. It certainly isn't because looking at it makes him think of Revy. That's just as ridiculous as thinking he only keeps The Shirt because it was Revy who gave it to him. That's not how it is. There's nothing special about that shirt at all.

_**fin**_

_**I really wasn't sure **_**what **_**this should be called, because it isn't exactly romance though the implication is there (sort of). I went with friendship because it was meant to be set within the canon.**_


	11. Romance III

This isn't a sequel, it comes between the other two

_**This isn't a sequel, it comes between the other two. **_

Revy sits in her bed in the dark and watches Rock sleep. The streetlight outside casts bars of orange light through the blinds onto his face, but he doesn't seem to care. Revy herself usually sleeps defensively curled up, but Rock's lying flat on his back with a serene expression.

Revy's not nearly as inebriated as she was pretending to be earlier; she's quite certain, however, that Rock was every bit as drunk as _he _seemed. Rather a sentimental drunk too-he'd fallen asleep mumbling about how pretty she is.

Nobody's looking, so Revy permits herself a smile. _He's such an innocent. _At first she'd found that annoying, but now it makes her want to protect him; when she sees him with the sad puppy-dog eyes he gets when faced with an ugly reality, it makes her want to shoot and smash whatever hurt him. It's funny, because Revy can't remember ever feeling like that about anyone before. She didn't know she could.

It's very late, and although Revy isn't _too _drunk, she's feeling sleepy. She leans down and very gently touches her lips to Rock's. Then she lies down facing him, pulls the blanket up around her shoulders, and goes to sleep.

_**fin**_


	12. Friendship II

I started this one a while ago, got stuck, rewrote half of it, and here it is

_I started this one a while ago, got stuck, rewrote half of it, and here it is. I have a couple others I'm working on, but they're giving me a bit of trouble so I don't know how soon I can post them. Anyway, here's this one. It's set within canon, during the Japan arc._

Revy doesn't understand this strange country, with all its rules and mannerisms. She doesn't particularly want to understand it, either. It's not that she has a problem with Japan in and of itself, but it's Rock's native land, and it seems to have a hold on him in some way. Revy doesn't like that.

She'd come here with Rock because she wanted to make sure he didn't get his fool self injured or killed, and though she'd never have admitted it she was interested to see the place he came from. Now, though she doesn't articulate it to herself, Revy's afraid deep down inside that she might be going home alone, that her partner might decide to stay here. And if he does, Revy will never see him again. But this was his home, and it's her fault that it stopped being in the first place; therefore, if he decides to stay, she can't say anything about it except "have a nice life."

Revy doesn't think this out in so many words. Bur she feels it, and hopes with all her heart that when this job is done, Rock will come back with her.

…_stay with me…_

_**fin**_


	13. Introspective

This one's Robertacentric for a change

_This one's Robertacentric for a change. We need more Roberta-love around this fandom. /gets hit with flying brick for saying "fandom"/_

Roberta's done many things in her life that she's not proud of, things she regrets and wishes she could make reparations for. No matter how many times she washes her hands, the blood sticks to them-invisible, but there. The soldiers who fell to her she feels no sorrow over-they knew the risks when they chose that lifestyle. It was their job, like hers, to dance with death, and so she doesn't grieve over them any more than they would have grieved over her had she been the one to fall. But the civilians haunt her, especially the children.

Roberta knows there's no way she can ever make up for those deaths. But what she can do is protect Garcia, so that _he _won't end up lying in a pool of blood like some other children she remembers. She can protect him, and she can do her best to ensure that his hands are never stained with blood like hers are.

It's never going to atone for the killing.

But it comes closer than anything else Roberta can do.

_**fin**_


	14. Friendship III

_Wow. It has been a LONG time since I've updated this one. I've been lacking inspiration for a while I guess. Anyway, here ya go._

On the plane back from Tokyo, Revy has fallen asleep in her seat. Her head has fallen against Rock's shoulder, so he's sitting as still as possible so as not to wake her; she hasn't gotten much rest lately, so he hopes she gets in a decent-length nap before they touch down in Roanapur.

On the day Revy stuck a gun in his ribs and told him he was going to be a hostage, Rock never would've imagined a time would have come when he would be relying on that same gun for protection. Revy did a good job of it, especially at the end---if she hadn't caught up to Yukio and Ginji when she did, Rock's fairly certain they would have ended up killing him. Revy kept him alive, paying for it with an injured leg; it's going to be a while before she's able to run around like usual.

Well, till then, even though he doesn't carry a gun himself, Rock's going to be taking his turn as bodyguard. Turn about is fair play, after all, and he most certainly owes it to her. Even if he didn't, Revy's still his partner and his friend. Who better to watch her back? Not that he intends to tell her he's doing it, of course. She'd just get mad at him for it.

Rock's eyelids begin to slide shut of their own volition; he realizes belatedly that he hasn't slept much recently, either. They still have quite a long flight ahead of them, though---enough for a good nap.

Rock leans his head over till it's resting against Revy's. He shuts his eyes and follows his partner down into sleep as the plane carries them both towards home.

_**fin**_


	15. Introspective II

_**Deep apologies for the lengthy delay in updates. I had a few ideas I was kicking around, but they all sucked, so I decided to set this fic aside and focus on other projects, and then I just plain forgot about it. Then yesterday I was looking over my sucky ideas and I thought one of them seemed to have potential, so I revamped it and it turned into this.**_

When Rock looks back on his previous life, it seems almost as if he was living in a dream state, hours and days and months and years flowing by undifferentiated from one another in a constant grey stream of sensory deprivation. Everything he did was done for some nebulous future he could barely see, barely distinguish from his present, strain his eyes as he might. The tedium he lived in was immaterial---it was all for what lay ahead, as if he were sleeping and working in a dream for a time he might wake up.

Rock isn't certain whether the life he now leads is a state of having been awakened, or a new, frightening, yet strangely exhilarating type of dream. He certainly feels awake, more awake than he can ever recall feeling, but a small part of himself keeps saying that a life like this must exist only in some state of unreality. It has in common with a dream the fact that, unlike his previous life, no one here is thinking of the future, but living purely in the here and now. Live for today and let tomorrow take care of itself, that's how the general feeling seems to go, and despite the fact that Rock was brought up to think about the future quite a lot, he can't really bring himself to do that anymore, because life here is so tenuous, so filled with danger, that the people he's come to care about might not exist in that future.

Rock can't imagine anymore what life would be like without Revy, Benny and Dutch. He isn't sure he wants to. This is his life now, this moment. Every moment, awake or dreaming. If he's awake, well and good. If not, if his whole world is just some dream after all, then Rock hopes he never wakes up.

Because hard and complicated and crazy and violent as this dream-world, this nightmare-world, is, it's a thousand times more alive than his dingy waking world could ever be.

_**fin**_


End file.
